All In The Family @ConstanceBretes #RomanceGems

Some of us authors talk about characters in our books like they are real. We imagine them, what they look like, their personalities, and the stories they want to tell. Sometimes the characters keep us awake at night. Become demanding, and sometimes, they even clam up once the focus comes onto them.

I had this happen to me with a family. It started with Jake Ackerson, the hero in Love Songs and Jennifer Summers, the heroine. While I was writing this story, another secondary character kept popping up.

To introduce the secondary character, let me introduce the hero in Love Songs. Jake is CEO of Apache White Eagle Casino and the leader/drummer of White Sands, a rock band he formed while a teenager. He fell in love with Jennifer while a teenager, but Jennifer went on to become a famous singer. Years later, Jake and Jennifer were reunited.

EXCERPT: Separated by fame, reunited through music.

When Jennifer Summers returns to the U.S. after spending two years in Africa, she has some decisions to make. Should she resume her singing career or continue to live a secluded life out of the spotlight in the hopes that her stalker won't be able to locate her?

Years ago Jake Ackerson let Jennifer go so she could pursue her dreams. When she suddenly returns to their hometown he's determined to rekindle his relationship with the woman he never stopped loving.

Jake's band is temporarily without a singer, and Jennifer agrees to take the position, but in doing so she is once again pushed into the limelight, and she knows it's only a matter of time before danger strikes.

Will Jake be able to protect her, and can he convince her to put past hurts aside and give their relationship another shot?

While telling Jake and Jennifer’s story, Vincent Carter, Jake’s best friend and bass player in the band, kept nudging in, telling me how lonely he was. Wondering if I could help ease his loneliness. So I started thinking about what kind of woman he needed in his life. Quite unexpectedly, a beautiful redhead real estate agent entered his life and the next story, Jarillo Sunset, started. At first, it was hard to get Vincent to open up. He had some secrets he kept close to his heart. In Jarillo Sunset, we learn more about the rest of Vincent’s family. As Vincent evolve in the story, I find out that he is actually the glue that kept the family of five, three brothers and two sisters, together. While writing the story, we get another very elusive secondary character. One who was peeking but disappeared when pressed to reveal himself. We learn that he is Patrick Carter. Sheriff deputy and elusive brother to Vincent.

EXCERPT: When two strangers meet on a lonely road is it mere coincidence or fate?

Real estate agent Char Johnson is on her way to meet a client when she gets a flat tire. It's a meeting she can't afford to miss since she's just been told she may be out of a job if she doesn't beat out a co-worker in sales over the next few months. When Vincent Carter stops and helps her, she's grateful beyond words and is determined to pay him back for his kindness, which is how she ends up agreeing to be his date to a wedding.

Ever since his divorce Vincent has been on a hiatus from relationships, and he's perfectly happy with that. He's not looking to get involved with anyone, but he does need a date for a wedding.

Although the two discover they enjoy each other's company, and there is definitely an attraction, with their schedules it would be difficult to find time to pursue anything. Vincent works two jobs, and Char is working extra hours to save her own job. Then there's the conniving ex who seems determined to win Vincent back, a whole slew of family drama for both of them, and the list goes on. The obstacles in their way seem to grow by the minute.

And even if they could overcome those, Char may not be able to overcome her own insecurities, not to mention her intense dislike for Vincent's profession. Her father's gambling addiction destroyed their family, so for her to now get involved with someone who works at a casino…

Will Char be destined to be alone forever? Or can the handsome Native American she met by chance break through her walls and ease the loneliness in her life?

After Jarillo Sunset was release, Patrick kept peeking around the corner, caring, but keeping his distance from his family. He was a sheriff deputy, but recently got promoted to police chief in another town, where he moved to so he could escape the family clutches. In Jade’s redemption, we see Vincent reaching out to his brother and in this story, we see Patrick slowly opening up to tell his side and the evolving relationship between him and Jade, a scared, former police officer who helps him to solve a crime. Patrick was both demanding and yet, stubborn. I had to really poke him, to get him to open up.

EXCERPT: He's an overworked police chief, and she's a disgraced cop. Can he rescue her from her own depths of hell without losing his heart to her in the process?

Someone is kidnapping newborn infants and selling them to the highest bidder. Police Chief Patrick Carter has his hands full investigating the case. To complicate matters, he's short on staff.

Jade Harlowe has secrets, ones that she vowed no one would ever know. She used to be a police officer, but when a tragedy occurred—one that everyone held her responsible for—she resigned and moved to another state to start over, accepting a job as a dispatcher for the police, fire, and ambulance departments.

When Patrick discovers Jade's past police experience he offers her a job on the force. He needs help working the kidnapping cases, and Jade previously solved a similar case, so she could be a valuable asset. But will they be able to fight the attraction that's sizzling between them? Something that could be very distracting if they can't control it.

The clock is ticking. They have to find those babies and prevent more from being taken. But a very nosy news reporter may compromise everything if she digs deep enough to uncover Jade's past.

Neither Patrick nor Jade thought they had room for each other in their lives, but working so closely together makes it impossible to deny the chemistry. Can Patrick break through the wall Jade has built up around her, or will her past finally catch up with her and she loses everything once again?

This is as far as I got in this family and after Patrick, things appeared to quiet down for a while. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking about the oldest member of the family, William. But each time I look through the crack in the door, he slams it shut. I am coasting him though, and he has a woman, slowly reaching out to him. The two sisters in the Carter family are hoping to be in a place someday, where they can tell their story.

Will I continue to share the secrets of the rest of the Carter family? If I can get William to open up a bit. He invaded my dreams at night, but not revealing too much about himself. He’s actually more stubborn than Vincent and Patrick put together. So, we’ll see.


Each story is a standalone, with its own HEA.

Here are the universal links to all books that will take you to the retailer you use to purchase your books!

Love Songs:  http://books2read.com/u/mvj5V6

Jarillo Sunset:  http://books2read.com/u/mqpvke

Jade's Redemption:  http://books2read.com/u/boYvk0